Pyromania MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	2002-02-04
Set symbol
Set name	Torment
Set code	TOR
Number	112
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Moeller

Key Takeaways

Pyromania enables conversion of extra cards into damage to maintain offensive momentum and draw into key resources.
Its instant speed use grants flexibility and the element of surprise against opponents during crucial game phases.
Despite its mana-specific and higher cost, Pyromania’s targeted damage and scalability make it a versatile collection addition.

Text of card

o1o R, Discard a card at random from your hand: Pyromania deals 1 damage to target creature or player. o1o R, Sacrifice Pyromania: Pyromania deals 1 damage to target creature or player.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pyromania shines in its ability to convert excess cards into direct damage, helping players maintain pressure on opponents while potentially drawing into more useful resources.

Resource Acceleration: Not directly related to mana generation, Pyromania’s strength lies in the conversion of available resources—namely, cycling cards—into a strategy that accelerates game tempo by consistently wearing down the opponent’s life total.

Instant Speed: Pyromania’s ability to deal damage at instant speed adds a layer of flexibility and surprise, ensuring that players can disrupt opponents’ creatures or finish games at the most opportune moments, without the constraints of the main phase.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Pyromania demands that you discard a card to activate its ability. This necessitates careful hand management, as you’ll be depleting your own resources, potentially putting you at a disadvantage in the game’s later stages when options become crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a particular blend of three red mana, Pyromania can be challenging to cast in multicolored decks. This sometimes hampers deck-building flexibility and can leave you mana-locked if your draw doesn’t align perfectly with your needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at four total mana, one may argue that Pyromania is somewhat inefficient. The burn cards ecosystem is competitive, and there are alternatives that may provide immediate impact at a lower cost, potentially making them more appealing for fast-paced strategies or mana-efficient plays.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Pyromania offers a flexible approach to dealing direct damage, fitting snugly into decks that capitalize on casting instants and sorceries or focus on a burn strategy.

Combo Potential: This card opens up opportunities to synergize with mechanics that trigger upon dealing noncombat damange or casting red spells, enhancing the intricacies of your play.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape that celebrates quick, decisive plays, Pyromania can be a pivotal card, efficiently removing small creatures or finishing a game against opponents with low life totals.

How to beat

Pyromania is a red enchantment that lights up the battlefield with its ability to deal damage directly to any target. When facing this heated adversary, the key is to implement enchantment removal or counter spells. This nips the threat right in the bud, preventing the cascade of damage Pyromania can unleash turn after turn. Objective removal options like Disenchant or the counteractive Negate can serve as effective fire extinguishers against Pyromania’s persistent blaze.

Additionally, having a strategy to maintain card advantage is crucial. Pyromania’s strength lies in discarding cards to fuel its flames, therefore, cards like Tormod’s Crypt can disrupt graveyard strategies, mitigating some of the advantage provided by Pyromania. Prioritizing quick removal of key creatures that benefit from being discarded can also dampen Pyromania’s impact. Quick, efficient plays keeping mana open for potential threats will often give you the upper hand against this sizzling spell.

In essence, a combination of foresight, proper timing, and strategic control elements form the trifecta for extinguishing Pyromania’s fire before it becomes an all-consuming inferno on the battlefields of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Pyromania

Pyromania offers Magic: The Gathering players a versatile tool within the red strategy segment. It stands shoulder to shoulder with other direct damage spells. Cards like Volcanic Hammer share Pyromania’s ability to deal damage directly to targets, but Pyromania has the unique aspect of dealing damage equal to the number of cards named Pyromania in your graveyard. This gives it scaling potential as the game progresses, a feature Volcanic Hammer lacks.

Another comparable card is Flame Rift, which deals damage to each player. This blanket approach to damage can be a double-edged sword, whereas Pyromania’s targeted damage provides more control over its effect on the game state. Comparatively, Pyromania can selectively target creatures or players, providing added versatility. Then there’s Seismic Spike, which while also belonging to the land destruction category, doesn’t offer the direct damage to players and creatures that Pyromania does. The clear advantage with Pyromania is its dual utility allowing players not just to control the board by removing creatures, but also whittle down an opponent’s life total directly.

Overall, examining Pyromania against its peers, we see a card that can fit into various stages of the game, from early creature control to a late-game finisher, highlighting its dynamic role in red-inclined decks within Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Pyromania by color, type and mana cost

Curse of Hospitality - MTG Card versions

Anax, Hardened in the Forge - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pyromania MTG card by a specific set like Torment, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Pyromania and other MTG cards: